Leaving feedback - Whose responsibility is it to do it first?

Dec 2, 2005
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In situations where I am the seller, I usually wait for the buyer to leave feedback first (after they have received the item and it has fulfilled their expectations).

A lot of the time the buyer waits a long time to leave feedback, though, and I think they may be waiting for me to do it first.

So I just wanted to check, as maybe it is me who has it the wrong way around? Who is supposed to do it first? :confused1:
 
I really think the seller should leave first

The Seller has to consider .. how the bidding went, the communication during the bid och if the buyer paid in time. .. if the buyer then leaves neg after reciving the item, there must be some reason to it. Bad wrapping, fake goods or something else. That the buyer leaves neg feedback shouldnt change what the seller originally thought about the buyer in the first steps of the process. I think this is the big problem with ebay. That if the buyer leaves neg the seller does the same!? I don´t get it..
 
actually, I think it depends. while I agree that the buyer upheld their end of the bargain once paid, what about unnecessary chargebacks like when its cc misuse (and hubby finds out, kwim?) etc.

I still think that communication is the key here: as a buyer i do not expect the seller to leave f/b until we have completed the transaction, i.e. the item is in my hands. f/b is just an expression of whether you were happy/neutral/unhappy with the transaction - and that does not result purely out of receiving payment. vice versa, as a buyer I am not just happy when I receive the item - it has to be the described item, kwim?

as a seller, I email buyers once I sent the item off and don't even ask for f/b, just that they inform me when they received the item and if they liked it. I will then leave f/b, once I know they are happy with what they got and 99% of the time get a response and reciprocated f/b.

btw, I have said it before, but I find sellers annoying that can't respond to f/b. why can't they leave f/b once they received a + f/b from me? not even 'first' but just in response. i find that rude.
 
As a seller, if you leave feedback first you are being naive. Some buyers don't read and expected something completely different and will neg you for this reason (one buyer of mine expected a $200 version of an item instead of the $59.99 version I sold for $34.99) My pictures and clear description were ignored by her. Another buyer wanted me to pay him money to leave me positive feedback. This is called feedback extortion and punished by ebay, but you are inviting similar, less black-and-white threats that ebay has no control over if you leave feedback first. Buyer may claim unauthentic due to ignorance or desire to get a free bag. etc... As a buyer, I leave feedback first after I receive and item. You have nothing to lose.
 
Its a catch 22 ladies. As a seller, its my duty to leave feedback as soon as the item is paid. A buyer deserves it. As a buyer, I expect a seller to leave feedback as soon as I'VE paid. At that point I've completed my part of the transaction. On the other hand, the above statements from everyone is accurate. There's alot of crooks out there, buyers and sellers alike, who deserve to be shot when they pull the cons available to them. So, like in alot of things today what is correct proves to be a danger to one or the other person and must be adjusted to protect all. As much as I hate it, its smarter today to wait until both sides of the fence have been completed, i.e., buyers paid & item recieved and both are happy. I have been known to write to a buyer and ask if everthing is satisfactory with their purchase and if so I'd appreciate their feedback. I've always gotten it that way and then I leave theirs if I haven't already.
 
eBay state on all the despatch notification e-mails used in selling manager the following

"Please leave feedback once your item is received and I will do the same"

I NEVER leave the buyer feedback before they have left it before me as I will not be held to ransom by a buyer who changes their mind. If there is an issue then I am more than happy to help
 
Ok, but what would you as a seller do, if the buyer leaves you neutral feedback, but wrote. Nice seller, Fast shipping, good communication but the item was not precise as described. Would kind of feedback would you leave the buyer assuming the buyer communicated good as well and paid instant? Just curious :smile:
 
It depends on what they deemed not as described. If it was a genuine error on my part then I'd leave them positive as i have done in the past.

Some sellers are very bitter about that sort of thing and would simply neg out of spite. The only reason I would do that is if the buyer didn't communicate and tell me there was a problem
 
Thanks girls! :flowers:

I'm glad to know that other people wait for the buyer to leave feedback first too. I was worried that I was doing it wrong, and I didn't want to violate eBay "etiquette" unknowingly (I can be a goof w/ these things sometimes).
 
I agree with those who say that as a seller, I wait for the buyer to leave feedback first. As a buyer, I don't expect the seller to leave me feedback until I let them know I am satisfied and leave them feedback.
 
Ok, but what would you as a seller do, if the buyer leaves you neutral feedback, but wrote. Nice seller, Fast shipping, good communication but the item was not precise as described. Would kind of feedback would you leave the buyer assuming the buyer communicated good as well and paid instant? Just curious :smile:

I'd leave the buyer a neutral. How good of a communicator could they possibly be if they didn't let me know they had a problem with the item?

A good buyer would let their seller know this PRIOR to leaving feedback. Not IN the feedback. The act of fast payment alone does not make you a good buyer. Communication is just as, or sometimes, even more important.